Month: December 2015

FAITH‘I Emphatically Refuse’: Muslim ACLU Activist Explains Why She Won’t Condemn Islamic TerrorismDec. 29, 2015 9:38am Carly Hoilman3.6KSHARESShare ThisTweet ThisThe deputy director of the ACLU of Michigan said in an op-ed Monday that she refuses to condemn radical Islamic terrorism in order to prove her allegiance to the United States.Rana Elmir wrote that she’s “consistently and aggressively asked” to condemn Islamic terrorism, and is tired of having her religious views linked to atrocities like the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and in Paris and San Bernardino this year. “I emphatically refuse,” she wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.The op-ed was titled: “Stop asking me to condemn terrorists just because I’m Muslim.”Elmir, who lectures on issues related to Islamophobia, free speech and the intersection of race, faith and gender, asserted that she “will not…

Animal Study Points to Drug Duo That Might Aid Injured Brains to Bounce BackCan two everyday drugs prevent irreversible harm from traumatic brain injury?STAFFBy Gary Stix on October 23, 2015 Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditEmailPrintShare viaGoogle+Stumble Upon ThinkstockA blow to the head generates a hail of free radicals and inflammatory molecules that can cause lasting damage if left unchecked. A drug that could be administered within hours, or even a day or more after the injury, could help soldiers, athletes, and everyone really.A report at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago this week showed that mice treated within hours after a lab-induced injury with a combination of an antibiotic and an antioxidant could avoid some of the neural chaos that results from a concussive blow. The apparent effectiveness of the drugs persisted even if…

Muslim man shows true spirit of Christmas by delivering presents to homeless people15:02, 25 DEC 2015UPDATED 15:03, 25 DEC 2015BY JON LIVESEYAs a Muslim, Nubaid Haroon, aka Rambo Vlogs, doesn't celebrate Christmas, but he's taken to the streets to "spread love" among rough-sleepers SHARES 5COMMENTSSubscribe CLICK TO PLAY Play0:00/0:48 FullscreenMuteShare A Muslim man on a mission to "spread peace and love" has captured the true spirit of Christmas - by delivering presents to homeless people.Nubaid Haroon, also known as Rambo Vlogs on social media, filmed himself giving blankets to people sleeping rough on the streets this winter.At the beginning of his YouTube clip , he admits that, as a Muslim, he doesn't particularly celebrate Christmas, but wanted to enter into the giving spirit.He is then seen presenting festively wrapped blankets to less fortunate people, including Catherine, who has been homeless for 21…

Muslim man shows true spirit of Christmas by delivering presents to homeless people15:02, 25 DEC 2015UPDATED 15:03, 25 DEC 2015BY JON LIVESEYAs a Muslim, Nubaid Haroon, aka Rambo Vlogs, doesn't celebrate Christmas, but he's taken to the streets to "spread love" among rough-sleepers SHARES 5COMMENTSSubscribe CLICK TO PLAY Play0:00/0:48 FullscreenMuteShare A Muslim man on a mission to "spread peace and love" has captured the true spirit of Christmas - by delivering presents to homeless people.Nubaid Haroon, also known as Rambo Vlogs on social media, filmed himself giving blankets to people sleeping rough on the streets this winter.At the beginning of his YouTube clip , he admits that, as a Muslim, he doesn't particularly celebrate Christmas, but wanted to enter into the giving spirit.He is then seen presenting festively wrapped blankets to less fortunate people, including Catherine, who has been homeless for 21…

Muslim volunteer group serves 1,000 meals to homeless on Christmas Eve Volunteers with the American Muslim Voice Foundation spent Christmas Eve serving a thousand meals to the homeless at Loaves & Fishes. December 24, 2015Frances Wang12:28 p.m. PST December 25, 2015(Photo: ABC10)CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMOREVolunteers with the American Muslim Voice Foundation spent Christmas Eve serving a thousand meals to the homeless at Loaves & Fishes.Some food items include baked chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes. From buying the groceries, to preparing the food, to actually serving the meals, the volunteers were busy all day."Giving one day of our time isn't that much" first-time volunteer Kiran Fareed said. "Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces the children and the families is definitely a meaningful experience."As an American Muslim who attended Catholic school, Fareed says she knows all too…

Forgotten Indian history: The brutal Maratha invasions of BengalFor medieval India history, incidents that don't fit into an overarching Hindu versus Muslim narrative tend to be removed from popular discourse. The 1741 Maratha invasion of Bengal is one such example.Shoaib Daniyal · Dec 21, 2015 · 10:30 am263.6KTotal Views Road names often have a story to tell. In Calcutta, given its long continuous history, even more so. One of those is the curiously named Marhatta Ditch Lane in Baghbazar in North Calcutta.The lane refers to an actual ditch built in the 1740s along what was then the northern extremity of Calcutta. Its purpose? To stop the marauding bands of Maratha cavalry who were pillaging Bengal at the time.In 1741, the cavalry of Raghoji Bhosle, the Maratha ruler of Nagpur, started to pillage western…

What our textbooks don't tell us: Why the Rajputs failed miserably in battle for centuriesThey were defeated by Ghazni, Ghuri, Khilji, Babur, Akbar, the Marathas and the British.Girish Shahane · May 20, 2015 · 09:00 amPhoto Credit: Wikimedia Commons518KTotal Views The home minister, Rajnath Singh, wishes our school textbooks told us more about the Rajput king Rana Pratap, and less about the Mughal emperor Akbar. I, on the other hand, wish they explained why Rajputs fared so miserably on the battlefield.A thousand years ago, Rajput kings ruled much of North India. Then they lost to Ghazni, lost to Ghuri, lost to Khilji, lost to Babur, lost to Akbar, lost to the Marathas, and keeled over before the British. The Marathas and Brits hardly count since the Rajputs were a spent force by the…

Bajirao, No Hindu Nationalist, Was Hated By Most. All He Fought For Was Chauth - A Form Of Tax!Aakar Patel, AakarvaniDecember 20, 2015 facebooktwittermailtwittergplus2.9kShares TwitterI think I’ll write about Bajirao Mastani today. I have not seen the movie, nor do I intend to (only one Gujarati makes the cut as director of watchable pap and that is neither Sanjay Leela Bhansali nor Sajid Nadiadwala, but Manmohan Desai, a true master).However, I have read Bajirao Mastani’s reviews and one of them said to my alarm, that the film “explores the romantic side of 18th-century Maratha general Bajirao Ballal Bhat, who fought and won 40 battles against the Mughals with an aim to create a unified Hindu kingdom or Akhand Bharatvarsha”.Whoa, hold it right there. First, the Marathas only ever wanted a Marathi kingdom for…